Gaglianone’s 29-yard field goal lifts Badgers over USC

These haven’t been normal times for the Trojans, though.

Here, they predictably looked disorganized at times and out of synch on other plays. USC is 8-5 while Wisconsin is 9-3.

“We’re very proud to be here”, coach Clay Helton said. With the PAC-12 getting left out of the playoff and the Big Ten coming off a great regular season, an impressive bowl season could be in the cards for either conference. “For us to be back down in San Diego, it is a tribute to what these seniors have accomplished”. The Trojans generally were successful as Schobert had one tackle for a loss and three total tackles and Biegel added two tackles.

Head coach Paul Chryst acknowledged after the game that the Trojans’ return game, specifically Jackson, scared the staff. But just because you play a tougher schedule than your opponent doesn’t always make you the better team.

The offensive game plan was sound and Chryst’s play-calling led to some key gains.

The Badgers played methodically, controlling the ball for more than 20 minutes. Through the first quarter of play, neither the Badgers or the Trojans were able to get anything going offensively.

The two teams have not faced one another since 1966 and this year’s matchup should not disappoint.

PRIME TIME: Helton likes the Holiday Bowl’s showcase time slot. “That makes for good TV”, he said.

Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, a two-year starter and All-Pac-12 selection this season, said persevering through the changes “taught me lessons as a man”.

Can it be insane this year? Wisconsin led the nation with 13.1 points allowed per game. He showed the toughness his teammates and coaches appreciate when he returned to the game in the final quarter to lead the game-winning drive after suffering an apparent broken nose. “Physically, they’re a nightmare”.

Selected the game MVP, Prescott completed 25 of 42 passes and ran for 47 yards to become the fourth player in FBS history to throw for 9,000 yards and run for 2,500 yards. Corey Clement was supposed to be that guy, but several injuries have interrupted his season.

“Not your ideal four years of college”, he said of the coaching turnover, “but we preserved through it and made the best of what we could do”. He took a look inside the Chargers’ locker room at aging Qualcomm Stadium earlier this week.

“There’s been a lot of drama since I’ve been here”, he said. One team was headed back to Los Angeles, and not everybody was happy.

Tweet(s) of the game: First, to satisfy our NFL-based sports gods, we must acknowledge Houston Texans star J.J. Watt tweeting about his brother’s performance in the game. USC -3.5. Under on the point total. It wasn’t much of a lead, but the USC defense was now going to need to come through in the clutch.

Stave is expected to have one of his favorite targets back as second-leading receiver Robert Wheelwright has been practicing after missing the final four games with a broken fibula. At one point, Wisconsin had 16 first downs to USC’s five.

Wisconsin’s No. 1 ranked defense did not disappoint in the first half as they seemingly stuffed the Trojans drive after drive. Still, he threw for over 3,300 yards with 28 touchdowns against only 6 interceptions. They lost to the teams they were supposed to (Alabama, Iowa, and Northwestern) and won all the games they were supposed to with no outstanding or signature wins.

Instead, Haden promoted Helton from an interim position four weeks ago, giving him his first head coaching opportunity at a school not known as a place where head coaches generally are allowed to learn on the job. Wisconsin didn’t face a single team that hit that mark.

Kessler and other seniors pointed to the Trojans’ 2013 victory over Stanford at the Coliseum as perhaps their most memorable high point.